Reed question

[Q-Piper]

And now a note from a Hack Piper.

Follow the guidance from your instructor. He or she has experience and opinions, knows what does and doesn't work. Also a good instructor will adapt to the learning abilities of the student.

For general piping I use a clanrye synthetic reed. they work OK, and if you will be changing environments; hot, cold, dry, moist. it'll be easier overall as they won't be as affected by the environmental conditions. Still There are those who will now reach for the torches and pitchforks for what I just said so that I may be properly piloried.

As for Pipes. When you go to purchase, buy from a reputable source. You can buy thousands of dollars worth of pipes and be a terrible piper or you can buy reasonably cared for used pipes and be a first class beginning piper. It all depends upon the effort you put into practice. There are two pipe manufacturers near where I reside. One produces GHB and the othe Uilien Pipes. Both make a good produce, but it is the piper who brings out the music. The thing to remember is some shops will sell you what you can afford but can not provide service for the tool you've choosen. Reboring if needed is a specialty job.

Cane reeds, and this I will admit, have a sweeter sound, warmer and more pleasant to the ear. But they are either playable or not. Some may be a nightmare to blow in and others will not have a usable life span if too soft.

Learn with the reeds your instructor recommends though and after you've either left his or her tutelage or been ejected, choose the reeds you feel comfortable with and have fun.

Most of the drunks in a bar crowd can't tell the difference between bad and really bad piping. Unless your fingers are like lightning, never hitting the same notes twice.